Mid-term Assessment: Nigeria’s entertainment industry coping without Buhari’s promises

 
Two years since President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn into office, the Nigerian entertainment sector remains largely self-funded and private sector driven.

Mr. Buhari made a string of promises to the Nigerian creative industry during his presidential campaign.

Many of them made headlines – from assisting Nollywood to fully develop into a world-class industry that can compete effectively with Bollywood and Hollywood, to pledging to save the country’s entertainment industry from pirates.

But having hit the 2-year mark of his presidency, one thing is clear- he is not interested in splashing money on the practitioners.

Here, PREMIUM TIMES reviews the Nigerian entertainment sector in the last two years of the Buhari administration
.
NOLLYWOOD, STILL ALMOST ON ITS OWN

Nollywood has defied recession and has grossed an amazing N1 billion from a record 50 indigenous movies in 2016- its best box office returns ever
.
Despite a gloomy economy, the COO of FilmOne Distribution, Moses Babatope, said the figure represents nearly 30 per cent of the N3.5 billion generated from 28 cinemas across Nigeria. This includes movies from Hollywood and around the world.